In what seems to be a rare thing THE MARS VOLTA have lined up some dates for
shows! Your going to have to make it out to these shows to see what sounds
the new line up has made. Should be intense! To find out the dates check out
the GSL web
site for any up the the minute additions or changes.

If ya can't catch THE MARS VOLTA cause you live in the worng part of the world
and still want to have your ass kicked, see SPARTA
when they are close by and don't forget to catch them on Conan pretty soon!
8.14.02

Wiretap Scars has hit the stores! Please support the band and buy the album
complete with the lyrics youve been singing wrong for about a year now. Also
check them out on the current WEEZER tour to see them blow away their following
acts, and remember a JEW tour is comming soon aswell.

"THE MARS VOLTA are working on their debut album in L.A. They have a
new bassist named Ralph, another El Paso emmigrant, having ousted original
bassist Eva after the Coachella Festival in April, their last public appearance.
No TMV shows or touring planned that I am aware of. Drummer Jon is on tour
with his other band GOLDEN. Ikey has left THE MARS VOLTA but is still a member
of DE FACTO." Sonny Kay (GSL Newsletter)

7.8.02
Wiretap Scars is hitting soon and already the buzz is huge! The LP includes
weworked versions of Mye and Cataract as well as the demos and a few new songs.
All I can tell ya is get it as soon as it hits the streets! Sparta is also
going to have "Cut Your Ribbion" air on MTV pretty soon and they
are touring with Weezer all over so make sure you get to see them in their
first BIG tour so you can tell all your friends you knew about Sparta way
back when....

In Mars Volta news: They are recording their first LP and with a new bass
player. The bass player from Universal Recovered has joined the band.

6.05.02
"THE MARS VOLTA are laying-low, writing tracks for their upcoming Universal
Records album due to be recorded late summer or early fall. No touring is
planned yet. The announcement in the UK press that the band will perform at
Reading this year is indeed false, sorry. The alter-ego DE FACTO, meanwhile,
have begun assembling tracks for their next (and as yet untitled) album, due
for release on GSL sometime in the early spring. L.A.-area fans may possibly
catch a show here and there over the next few months... " (Taken From
the GSL newsletter)

SPARTA will be touring with Weezer. Kids this tour seems its going to be huge!
Get your tickets now! Check spartamusic.com
for dates.

5.16.02
OK It's been a while since the Sparta show at the Troubadour, and sorry for
the delay, but pictures from that show are now up in the xtra section. AWESOME
SHOW! They really did "unhindge" shit like Jim said they would.
The LP will be titled "Wiretap Scars".

4.29.02
Slow news. Sorry nothing real new to tell you. So I am going to make it up
to you folks. I have in my possession a SPARTA set list from their first tour,
and a copy of Tremulant signed by Omar. I think I will have an art contest
to see who gets them. Best Sparta art recieves the set list and best Mars
Volta art recieves the signed ep.
I am not too sure this contest will really take place so dont send me anything
just yet.

4.11.02"When you gonna update your site sik?" SHUT UP!
DE FACTO have announced their imminent return by hopping on the upcoming KXLU
Fundrazor show - April 24 at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood.
THE MARS VOLTA are playing Day 2 of the Coachella festival at the end of this
month. No word yet on anything beyond that, other than tentative plans to
start recording their album in mid-summer. And, as reported a few weeks back
in the L.A. Times, the band have also signed with Universal Records. (Taken
from the GSL newsletter)
SPARTA is currently on tour all over so check out dates at their site and
dont forget to pick up Austere!

3.13.02
New interview is up. This time I had it with Tony now of SPARTA. He spoke
of many new things the band is going through and I am very proud of the way
it came out. Check for it in the extras section. By
the way if your on the SPARTA street team your stuff doesn't look like it's
too far away. They should be mailed by Monday or Tuesday of next week.
3.6.02
So it's finely March. Austere & Tremulant will both drop this month and
you will buy these ep's. While I'm still anticipating Austere, I picked
up Tremulant at a show a few weeks ago. On the last track there is some stuff
you should listen to backwards. Brings you back to the days of Vaya.
If you havent already check out the new live set in the extras section. The
old set will not be available here anymore. Don't ask me for it.Sparta has released
a shitload of dates they will be playing on the east and west coast. So check
their web site for dates. THURSDAY for the east coast, and RIVAL SCHOOLS for
west coast dates.

1.30.02
Well I'm sure if you didnt know these live mp3's would be coming this was
a nice surpise. The quality is fairly good and should keep you happy til the
ep is out. Keep in mind that these are not an official release.

-Blaze James has said the the Sparta board that the guys are gettin ready
to do some touring with THURSDAY. On that same board SPARTA wrote they might
be doing a few unannounced shows sometime soon.

JANUARY 22

I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update but as
you can see its well worth the wait. So whats happened since I last left you?
-SPARTA got their new web site & studio web cam.
-3 more SPARTA songs hit the net at audiogalaxy.
-Tremulant will be the name of Mars Volta's 3 song ep.
-Paul has released a statement saying ATDI is infact over.
-Defacto released a new album.
-The Mars Volta will be touring Europe w/Les Savy Fav.
-SPARTA will play The South by Southwest Festival in TX.
-Get on the SPARTA
STREET TEAM

Too much good crap goin on.

JANUARY 3
Glad to see you made it to the new year. Well theres some pretty cool news out
about DEFACTO, SPARTA, and THE MARS VOLTA that I have for ya.

First off Blaze announced to the fans on the SPARTA board
that the guys are in Canada now and practicing before they begin recording their
first LP. The coolest news about that was he also said there would be a web
cam available so we can spy on the guys as they make the record that we've been
waiting for.

I'm sorry to all the big DEFACTO fans out there for not saying this earlier,
I was made aware of it by Spark at the SPARTA BOARD. There is a new DEFACTO
album out right now and you can buy it here.

This next bit was taken from the GSL
website. The new MARS VOLTA ep will be called TREMULANT. So far all there is
to be said is that Concertina will be rerecorded on the ep.

DECEMBER 27
SPARTA has finely told the fans who the new bassist is! His name is Matt Miller
previously of the band Belknap.

Now for the really cool news! The band has also announced
the name of the E.P. that will be made available around spring at some stores
and the bands shows. "Austere" will be the first ever recording you
can buy from SPARTA and it will have 4 to 5 new songs on it.

The band will begin touring starting at "The South by
Southwest Festival" in Austin.

DECEMBER 12
THE MARS VOLTA was mentioned in the GSL
newsletter released to those on the mailing list this week. In it were the small
tid bits about things going on with the band and the next tour. If you didn't
get the newsletter here's what was said:

" No shows scheduled for a while, but that could change at any time. Currently
putting the finishing touches on their upcoming debut EP. THE MARS VOLTA hits
the road again with LES SAVY FAV at the end of February, this time in Europe.
Details coming soon. "

Sounds like they will be touring in support of the EP.

SPARTA also mentioned earlier that they might have an EP
out by February.

It's going to be an awesome month.

P.S. I hope you dont mind I got rid of that old ass flash intro.

NOVEMBER 29
Blaze James on Erick.

"Erick is no longer in sparta. it just didn't work out
and the band is now working with a new bass player. when a band first starts
out they often have to make line up changes until the perfect balance is met.
we think this choice will bring sparta to that place. we'll tell you his name
as soon as we're ready to bust out. sorry, but this just happened and we didn't
want to say anything until we were sure about everything, but of course you
can never get anything past you guys!!! None of this will affect the recording
date, touring, anything. All systems are go."

Blaze James on the EP and label.

"We don't know about the EP yet, we are signing to dreamworks, so it will
probably be a dreamworks release. I guess we can go for the "indie cred" and
have it on restart. restart would love to have it, so maybe it will be a restart/dreamworks
release. "

Blaze also said SPARTA is to start recording the record on jan 14 and should
start the shows up in march. Looks like they will have a little ep out in late
feb.
ALL INFO FROM THE SPARTA BOARD

NOVEMBER 28
Hey! Now that there finely some MARS VOLTA mp3's out, theres also a lot of news
out right now about them. Check out the GSL
site for all the official news at the moment or you can check this site out
as well.

WELL.....

THE MARS VOLTA are recording next week an EP for a 12"/CD
release on GSL in (hopefully) march. It will most likely be 3 three songs. Roulette
Dares might go on the EP. If that wasn't enough news for you, they are collaborating
on some of the album tracks with the Latch Bros (Mike D and co.) - Sonny Kay

Still no news on Erick, and the new SPARTA board is still not @$%& up yet.

NOVEMBER 26
OK. Where the hell is Erick? His photos have been taken off the offical SPARTA
page. So far thats all there is to say about that. A bunch of speculation and
no real word.

Now I know that one Mars Volta mp3 left you hungry for a second helping. Well
the new GSL site
has been put up and has an new mp3 waiting for you. There is also a very cool
bio for you all to read.
NOVEMBER 20
Sorry for the lack of news. I would have posted this earlier but was hoping
for some further developments to add to it, but alas not even Blaze had anything
to add.

"We are currently working on what will become our 1st
record. We are in our "Secret Fortress" which is located somewhere in the deserts
of Far West Texas. We are writing more songs and re-working the songs that you
may have heard on tour. We plan on entering the studio in early January. The
record will come out on DreamWorks Records. ( who are very awesome people) We
might release a CD on an indie label first , but we arent certain."
-Taken from the SPARTA news section.

If you didnt catch it on the message boards SPARTA is redoing there web site.
Sakebomb is taking over
as designers, but SPARTA has said the whole band will contribute to the design.
That pretty cool.

Oh yea, in news about this web site, Indiekids
will be the host for HELLPASO 2. I am redoing every damn thing I can think of
for the new version of the site. I am very fortunate to be working with Indie
Kids and can't wait till I move the site to an ad free zone! CHECK OUT INDIE
KIDS!

NOVEMBER 12
Well I was one of the lucky people who were able to get into the sold out Troubadour
show on the 11th with The Mars Volta. I will have the interview with Omar up
real soon and a HELL PASO exclusive! Omar gave the ok to upload a Mars Volta
mp3 I have been listening to. Soon kiddos will you all be rockin with The Mars
Volta.

This old news but I thought I would post it anyways. The subject of the ATDI
break up has come up again in a thread on a yahoo board. Blaze confronts the
thread by saying:

"There have been grumblings and hearsay and even Jim talking to a radio
station, not a magazine, that the band was over. and we've said it on the message
board that the band is likely over, but that no official word has been made.
we always said we would say something when it was official, and it is still
not official. it was a lot easier to keep everyone in the loop when there was
things to tell. there has been no official news, therefore, no announcements."

NOVEMBER 6
Not too far from the interview and I havent got enough questions from you guys!
Send them in!
Well I am one lucky SOB. I got to hear some Mars Volta today and its everything
the boards have been saying. A mix of... Well it's hard to explain. Its really
musical I can tell you that much, and you'll note some voice effects that are
reminecent of DEFACTO. The MP3's should be widespread as soon as the site is
finished by BUDDYHEAD.

NOVEMBER 3
OK, so the next interview is pretty soon. This time I am a lil more prepared.
Not that the last interview turned out bad, but this time I thought I would
let you guys help me out. So anyone got a question they want answered? Any Mars
Volta stuff your dying to know? Well e-mail
me with what you want asked and I will post on the site the questions I
am going to ask from you guys before the interview.
And in a SPARTA note, Blaze says the boys are busy rehearsing until their time
in the studio around January
(I know it's obvious, but hey, its some SPARTA news).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Blaze posted this on Sparta's message board about recording and new music for
the site.
"Personally, as much as i know you'd all love to hear the songs, we (well
at least I) would like them to be fresh when you get the record. when we get
to the studio in january, you'll have many, many updates, audio feeds, all kinds
of fun stuff to keep you busy. We may add a song or two in the meantime, but
I'm not promising anything."
- Blaze James -

OCTOBER 29
If you saw SPARTA on their recent tour you know they had some help from their
friend Gabe who played the piano and guitar for them. Well if you didnt know
Gabe has his own band and you can check out the website by clicking here.
He mailed me and here's a little of what he had to say about his VOLADOR record
and the next SPARTA tour:

" The record will probably be out by the end of Nov. or Dec. So spread
the word. Well, I think the next time Sparta is going out will probably be Late
Jan. or Feb. I'm not entirely sure it depends on when the record is done."

Thanks Gabe. Best of luck with your music. People check out the VOLADOR
site. It has some samples of whats to come from the record.

OCTOBER 28
Keep your hopes up! I hope to get one of the first interviews with Omar since
the hiatus. This will take place next month so if there is any new developments
about this I will be sure to let you all in on it! I have been in contact with
a friend of his and he let me in on some info he wants Omar to address. So stay
tuned kiddos!

OCTOBER 25
"I was staying quiet because we haven't actually signed the papers yet,
but yes, we have come to an agreement with Dreamworks. they are very cool people
and we are super stoked. We plan to record in January and the record will likely
be out in late spring, early Summer." - Blaze
Taken from the SPARTA message board (10/24/01).

OCTOBER 22
HUGE NEWS!!!! Buddyhead.com just anounced SPARTA has signed a deal with Dreamworks!
AWESOME!

MARS VOLTA NEWS:
Buddyhead.com also had this to say about Mars Volta's first show:
"The audience actually consisted mainly of a bunch of kids who were there
to see the other bands, and had no idea they were witnessing The Mars Volta
playing to an audience for the first time ever. The rest of the crowd was rounded
out by a few others who had been tipped off about the "secret" show, in which
the band member’s other band, Defacto, had been advertised to play. Buddyhead
was in the house, and we can testify to the bomb-ness. Photos of that night
will be up soon. So will a couple mp3s from their demo and a website (Buddyhead
is working on it as you read this). "
The Mars Volta web page will be www.THEMARSVOLTA.com
and www.MARSVOLTA.com but for now it
is under construction. I confirmed this myself. Also, I know your all dying
to see what The Mars Volta looks like well look no further. New pictures are
up at a great site I am linked to and from. SOOOO Check
them out!

OCTOBER 21
I was snooping around the net and found a poster for a show Mars Volta will
be doing with other bands. Check it
out! I found it at Thrash
Represents.

OCTOBER 3
I have been in contact with a source close to SPARTA and am trying to get a
small interview set up for all you kiddos! SPARTA will be in Los Angeles soon
and if things work out you will have a really cool exclusive interview to read!

MARS VOLTA news: There is some question as to what in the world these guys are
sounding like. Although still not too much is know about them I have a source
that tells me they sound like VAYA with a lil tribal mix to it. Pretty cool
huh?

SEPTEMBER 29 "Texan hardcore heroes At The Drive-In have confirmed to TotalRock
that they have split up. Talking exclusively to us, guitarist Jim admitted that
the band had decided to make their current extended break a permanent situation.
Jim – along with drummer Tony and bassist Paul – are still working together
in new project Sparta. This sees Jim handling all vocals, with Paul switching
to guitar, and bass parts being handled by old pal Erick."
This was taken from www.totalrock.com.